Kobe Bryant loved books as much he loved basketball, says author: 'He was a guy with a bunch of book ideas'
For those who thought the late Kobe Bryant was all about basketball, its a little known fact that he loved books as much as he loved the sport.
According to a USA Today interview with the legend after his retirement, Bryant has overseen the publication of three sports fantasy books. The fourth — 'The Wizenard Series: Season One' — by Wesley King, is slated to hit bookshelves on March 31.
It was also reported that Bryant's workspace had shelves of fantasy novels, biographies, and his published work. Author Ivy Claire shared: "Sometimes, I forget he's Kobe Bryant. To me, he's just a guy with a bunch of book ideas."
King added that Bryant approached books with the same passion that he had for basketball. "That's not necessarily the case with a lot of other athletes. Some have put out books, but have been more hands-off. But he's in the trenches and wants to work on every sentence possible," he said.
Adding to this another interesting piece of information about Bryant is him taking creative writing classes. He took them up at Lower Merion High School from Jeanne Mastriano, who termed him an "a charismatic storyteller".
She added, "I was hoping he would coach. I was hoping I could watch him with the Lakers. But it makes a lot of sense he would take a bold leap like this. It's not easy, which is going to get him salivating."
The interview also sheds light on how he wasn't much of a reader during his childhood. Bryant later became a fan of 'Harry Potter', 'Star Wars' and 'Disney' movies.
He also read biographies to learn what made accomplished people tick. The Lakers' star watched movies to study character development and story arc. "You got to do what you love to do," Bryant said. “I love telling stories. I love inspiring kids or providing them with tools that are going to help them."
